Owen Corkish puts a shot on Ethan McCallum as the Raiders open the season with a 4-2 win. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nick Nielsen

Raiders season opener

Raiders celebrate 2025 East Division Championship Banner with gutsy season opener win

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With the banner hanging in the rafters and over 3,000 fans filing into the Art Hauser Centre, the Prince Albert Raiders kicked off the 2025-26 season Friday night against the Saskatoon Blades. The Highway 11 Rivalry began anew as the Raiders battled for a 4-2 win to start the year.

From the very first shift, Raiders fans got to see the two European imports that the team drafted over the summer, 6’6 defencemen Matyas Man and 18-year-old goaltender Michal Orsulak.

The Raiders got the game’s first powerplay just over five minutes in, but the first powerplay failed to get settled on their first attempt before getting sent on the penalty kill shortly after. The Blades then got a powerplay of their own, and they struggled to setup on their first two entries into the Raiders zone. Then it clicked for the Blades, and Saskatoon cycled the puck and fired away for the next minute before Dominik Petr fired a onetimer from the right point, and that snuck into the back of the net at 10:59

After 1: Raiders 0 – 1 Blades, shots 9-8 Raiders

In the second period, the Raiders tied the game thanks to ol’ reliable. With Tyrone Sobry playing the puck below the goal line, Owen Corkish picked up his first assist in the WHL as he helped get the puck loose for Brayden Dube. Aiden Oiring was waiting in the slot, and Dube fed him perfectly for Oiring to blast a onetimer into the back of the net at 8:40.

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Including the penalty in the first period, the Raiders had to kill five straight powerplays before they got their second opportunity, and clearly the Raiders fixed any communication issues they had in the first period. At 14:50, Riley Boychuk got the puck back to the blueline for Daxon Rudolph, and just like Rudolph did in the third period from of last season opener, Rudolph fired a shot from the right point and into the back of the net.

After 2: Raiders 2 – 1 Blades, shots 13-10 Blades, 21-19 Blades overall

At the 2:26 mark, the Raiders got their prettiest goal of the night from three 17-year-olds. The puck came loose to Riley Boychuk streaking down the right wing, and he made a pass between his legs and right to the tape of Jonah Sivertson on the left of the slot. Sivertson was in prime position to shoot, but instead sent a one-touch pass across the crease Ty Meunier, and he slammed it home into the open net.

The Blades got one back at the 9:58 mark when Zach Olsen got the puck at centre ice, and he cut down the left wall before sending a shot on goal. Orsulak was challenging far out of his crease and reached his glove up for the save, but the puck fluttered off the top and found its way into the back of the net.

Orsulak had some nice saves later to make up for it, and the Raiders soon found their momentum again. After an icing call, the Blades pulled their goaltender for a faceoff in the Raiders zone. Soon after, Jackson Kostiuk was able to carry the puck out from the left wing, find Oli Chenier on the right wing, and before hit the Blades blueline Chenier fired at the empty net for his first of the season at 18:32.

FINAL: Raiders 4 – 2 Blades, shots 10-10, 31-29 Blades overall

The Raiders will look to spoil the Blades home opener Saturday night in Saskatoon.